Melanie Smith

Kyle W. Nageotte represents companies of all sizes in a variety of practice areas, concentrating primarily on employment litigation. Mr. Nageotte has successfully represented employers in a broad range of employment law matters, including claims involving class actions, discrimination, wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, trade secrets, and the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). A natural leader, Mr. Nageotte is a past-Chair of the California Young Lawyers Association (...

Ed Chapin is the Managing Partner in the San Diego office of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, a national law firm with offices in the District of Columbia, New York, California, Tennessee, and Maryland. Ed received his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and his B.S. from Southwest Missouri State University. Ed is a veteran litigator whose practice spans class actions, unfair business practices, professional negligence, insurance coverage, bad faith, toxic torts, serious personal in...

Frank L. Tobin is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Frank L. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Frank L. Tobin since 2021. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Frank L. Tobin is held by other lawyers.

HFM Partner Susan Mercure specializes in representing high net worth clients in sophisticated estate planning and estate and trust administration. On the estate planning side, Ms. Mercure utilizes techniques to reduce the size of an estate for estate tax purposes and employs other techniques to accomplish the distribution goals of her clients. She effectively communicates technical concepts and is able to convey complex concepts in a way that is easy to understand. She also assists her client...

Thomas D. Luneau is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Thomas D. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Thomas D. Luneau since 2016. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Thomas D. Luneau is held by other lawyers.

Leslie is a partner in the family law team at Withers. Her practice focuses on handling all aspects of family law, concentrating in the area of complex financial issues and custody disputes. While Leslie is adept at litigating cases, she prefers to utilize her experience to achieve settlement whenever possible. Leslie is also experienced at negotiating and drafting cohabitation, prenuptial, and postnuptial agreements. Leslie has been recognized as a Best Lawyer by US News and World Report sin...

Robert M. Bedgood is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Robert M. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Robert M. Bedgood since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Robert M. Bedgood is held by other lawyers.

For more than 20 years, Jason M. Kirby has represented hundreds of clients in litigation cases in San Diego and throughout California. Kirby’s primary practice areas are business litigation and real estate litigation, but he has been involved in almost every type of civil case at some point during his career. Kirby is an experienced trial lawyer. Kirby handles both plaintiff’s cases and defense cases. As a plaintiff’s lawyer, he has had multiple jury verdicts in excess of a ...

Michael J. Gleason is an AV-rated trial and appellate lawyer with over 20 years of experience handling key areas of business litigation, including consumer class action defense, California’s Proposition 65, product liability, fraud, real estate, escrow, and title insurance. He serves as Partner-in-Charge of Hahn Loeser’s San Diego office, is founder of the firm’s Proposition 65 defense group, and a member of the San Diego Litigation Team, which is ranked among the Top Tier P...

Benjamin J. Howard is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Litigation - Health Care, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Benjamin J. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Benjamin J. Howard since 2025. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Benjamin J...